Taken from the Compassion website:

UPDATE: Mar. 7 at 10:15 a.m. MT – Abdoul Fatao Kone is a 6-year-old boy living with his father, mother and five siblings in Bobo Dioulasso (southwest Burkina Faso). Fatao’s father is a part-time security guard who struggles to make ends meet for his family. And Fatao’s mother sells fritters (steamed bean cakes) at the local market to help support the family. When Fatao turned 1, his parents learned that he has a heart problem: a ventricular septal defect (VSD)—a hole in his heart.

Although his parents have known about Fatao’s condition for years, they’ve never been able to afford the necessary medical care. Instead, they tried traditional medicines and methods. The total cost of Fatao’s surgery, including passport, visa, travel, the surgery itself and follow-up care, is $23,000.

As Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program grows, they are serving more children and families who struggle to survive in extreme poverty; many of them have special medical needs. Please make a donation to help pay for Fatao’s heart surgery. And if you prefer not to, please spread the word about Fatao’s situation. Pull out all the stops. And please keep Fatao in your prayers. Thank you for loving this child.

Any money raised in addition to the $23,000 for Fatao’s surgery will be used to pay for similar surgeries for other children in our sponsorship program. Children like Alexander, Rossy and Victoria. As I get more information about Fatao’s situation, I will share updates in this blog post (below) and on Facebook and Twitter.

UPDATE: Fatao’s parents will not be traveling to India with him. They are trusting God that everything will turn out well. I am not worried . . . All for me is about having hope and prayer. I pray for him to recover and come back to us. This is a matter of distance. If he were here, I would be there, but it’s too far. I will keep praying here so that he comes back to us. – Kone Lassina, Fatao’s father I know that I cannot be there, so I am just praying that my son returns home well, and I am praying that we are all well, too. – Sanaou Pauline, Fatao’s mother Courtesy of Compassion International

Help Fix Fatao’s Heart

Donate HERE!